


Feels Like Home for the Holidays

by Mystrana



Category: Captain America (Movies)
Genre: Canon Divergent, Fluff and Smut, M/M, Post CATWS
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-29
Updated: 2017-12-29
Packaged: 2019-02-23 09:43:31
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,393
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13187457
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mystrana/pseuds/Mystrana
Summary: From getting a tree to baking holiday treats to lighting the menorah with friends, Steve and Bucky enjoy the holiday season with each other.





	Feels Like Home for the Holidays

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Madara_Nycteris](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Madara_Nycteris/gifts).



> This was done for the 2017 Steve/Bucky Secret Santa event! Happy Holidays Madara_Nycteris!

The smell of pine needles and dirt wafted through the air, mixed with a hint of a chill that spoke of probable overnight flurries. Cheerful holiday music played through speakers perched on poles, and Steve shoved his hands in his pockets. He smiled at Bucky as they walked through the grounds of the nursery, searching for the perfect Christmas tree.

A couple of children ducked out from between some trees, laughing as they moved along the grassy path.

“This is like a magical Christmas tree forest!” one of them said in awe as they came across the larger nine feet trees.

It _was_ a little like a magical Christmas tree forest, Steve thought as he pulled at a tree, standing it up for Bucky to give an opinion.

“It’s got a bald spot near the back, but we could turn that to the wall. D’you want a taller tree or is that a good height?” Bucky appraised the tree as Steve turned it around in a slow circle. None of the green needles shook loose, which bode well for the freshness of the tree.

“Seeing as we have just those two strings of lights, we probably should keep it shorter, right?” Steve leaned the tree back against the wooden fence and glanced over at the taller trees one section over. “They are gorgeous though.”

“And you know there’s a place called Target where we can - get this - _buy_ new lights, right?” Bucky smiled, his eyes sparkling with mirth as he took Steve’s arm with his gloved hand. “I think we can spare the money for a few extra lights.”

“Let’s look for a bit longer first.” It was a solid compromise, and they walked with arms linked, enjoying the earthy smell from every footstep.

Bucky stopped to inspect a nearby tree. “This one is excellent.” He pulled it up from the fence to its full height and nodded as the tips of the pine tree stopped just above his head. “Look at that! We couldn’t ask for a better tree.”

Steve nodded, though he was watching the smile on Bucky’s face more than whether the branches spread out nicely. “If you like it, I’m on board.”

A few flurries of snow danced in the air as Bucky held the tree a minute longer, looking thoughtful. “I remember that your mom got you guys a real tree that one year and -”

“The year I found out I was allergic to whatever tree it was? And I had the worst asthma attack that month?” Steve grimaced in remembrance, but then smiled as he thought back. He recalled the way he had stared up at his mother with big puppy dog eyes, telling her that he was going to be sick no matter what they had in the house, so couldn’t they just keep the tree a little longer? And he treasured the way she had smiled and shook her head and wrapped him in a hug. Even all of these years later, he could remember that smile and _that_ made him smile.

“That was a bad year for your asthma.” Bucky was solemn for a moment as he reflected. “I helped her take it out of the apartment, you remember? And we gave it to the Hendersons two doors down.”

Steve laughed. “And correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t you start going with Sue Henderson the next day?”

“Could be a hundred years later and I guess you’re still never going to forget.” But Bucky was laughing too, and the opening strains of _Winter Wonderland_ were playing on the speakers, and they just smiled at each other.

One of the little boys from earlier dashed between two of the trees and turned, but the tree Bucky was holding up in his way. He tried to avoid crashing and bumped into Steve and fell down to the ground, mud staining his pants.

“Oh gosh little buddy!” Steve stooped to his knee and put out a hand to help the boy up as his mother came around the corner, calling out for him.

“Don’t run ahead like that!” She saw him on the ground, and then looked up at Steve. After a moment, her eyes widened and she hurried forward, addressing her child. “Did you just - run - into - Captain America?” She was oscillating between embarrassed and agitated, her face turning red.

“I was just checking to make sure he was ok,” Steve said as he helped the boy up. “We had our tree in the middle of the row and he couldn’t see around it.”

“He’s always running ahead without looking. I’m sorry.” Her voice was quiet and she still looked a little stunned, as though she was trying to formulate the appropriate way to apologize to a national icon.

“Sorry!” said the little boy. He turned to his mom. “Hold my hand?”

“Yes, get over here!” She grabbed his hand and sighed. “Running into Captain America. That’ll be a story for when you are older. I’m so sorry.”

“No one was hurt,” Bucky said, putting the tree back against the fence. He got down on the little boy’s level and smiled. “We’re all just enjoying this magical Christmas tree forest, aren’t we?”

The boy burst out into a huge grin and nodded, tugging at his mom’s hand. “And I found the most amazing tree, just up ahead!”

She apologized again as her son dashed ahead again, not about to let anything get between him and his perfect Christmas tree. Steve and Bucky watched for a moment, before turned to look at each other and smiling.

“This tree, then?” Bucky asked, giving it another shake to ensure the needles weren’t loose, and Steve nodded.

“It’s the one.”

~~~

“Have you seen the ginger?” Steve was on his tiptoes rummaging through the top shelf of the cabinet above the stove. “I think I put it up here, right?”

Bucky shrugged as he sat at the kitchen table, scrolling on his phone. Behind him, the Christmas tree was lit up in brilliant blues, greens, and golds. “I think you bought some last year so we could make gingerbread. Said it was gonna be a tradition.”

“And it will be, just as soon as I find it so we can have our second annual gingerbread house.” Steve pushed aside some cinnamon and cardamom and a giant container of garlic powder. They needed to either buy smaller spice containers or start using fancier recipes. “Have you picked out a model house yet?”

“I guess?” Bucky scrolled through a few more pictures. “It depends on how artistic you’re going with this.”

“I mean, what’s the worst that could happen?” Steve made a triumphant sound as he retrieved the ginger from the back of the shelf. He consulted the recipe card, adding the precise amount asked for and stirring the dough with a wooden spoon. “As Bruce would say, go big or go home.”

“I don’t know him that well yet,” Bucky said, deadpan. “But I have a feeling that he would never say that.”

Steve smiled.

In the end, they decided against a gingerbread mansion, figuring they could save that for the _fifth_ annual gingerbread house when they’d had a little more practice. Bucky picked out a cute log cabin pattern and got to work on a huge bowl of white icing while Steve measured out the walls, using a ruler to keep a straight edge as he cut out the cookie pieces.

Over the next hour they assembled the little house, Steve piping dark brown on the walls and Bucky decorating the roof with little poufs of icy “snow.” When they stepped back to admire their handiwork, the back wall wobbled and fell over.

Steve held his breath and Bucky bit back a laugh, but the rest of the house stayed put, so he grabbed the back wall and a glob of icing, and doctored it back into place.

Dusting the cookie cabin with a bit of powdered sugar, Steve grinned. “I hereby declare the second annual Barnes-Rogers gingerbread house to be complete, thanks to your swift carpentry skills.”

He turned to kiss Bucky as they sat side by side at the table. It was a sweet, soft kiss made even sweeter by the sprinkling of powdered sugar that had made its way to Steve’s lips.

“Mmm.” Bucky’s voice was low in his throat. “That little cabin is almost as nice a sight as you.”

The back wall of the cabin chose that moment to fall again with a little puff of powdered sugar, and Steve laughed. “You’re saying I’m falling apart on you?”

Bucky got another spoonful of icing. “I’m saying you’re well constructed, sweet, and...” He bit lightly on Steve’s lower lip. “And you taste great.”

Steve smirked at that, running his tongue over his lips. “Do I now?” He reached out to pull Bucky closer.

“And I’d go ahead and prove my point, but we’d be late if I did,” Bucky amended, gesturing over to the oven clock. It was coming up on five, and they had promised Pietro and Wanda they’d be at their apartment for the lighting of the menorah that evening.

“You’re right, of course.” They shared a lingering kiss, Steve running his hand down Bucky’s back and Bucky wrapping his arms around Steve’s shoulders. Steve made a noise low in his throat that had Bucky so close to saying screw it, the candles could wait, but he summoned his superhuman strength and broke the kiss with an teasing smile.

“I know I’m right. Now get your oversized coat and let’s figure out how we’re going to transport this cabin.”

~~~

The candles shone with a brilliant, smooth flame as Pietro placed the shamash candle in its holder. The glow reflected in Wanda’s eyes as she looked at the candle and then at her brother and smiled.

“We are thankful for the little miracles of life,” Pietro said, smiling back at her. “As well as for the friends we have made this year, especially coming here. To America.” He paused, his expression unreadable for a moment. Bucky thought he recognized it as homesickness. He couldn’t quite relate to the distance in kilometers, but he and Steve knew a thing or two about the distance of time. “It is nice to be able to fight for a better world with you guys.”

“You know I couldn’t mean it more when I say I’m happy that you both decided to come and stay here to work with us.” Steve was all Captain America right that moment, the part of him that lead troops and knew how to boost morale with a truthful statement. But underneath that, Bucky saw he was just as much Steve Rogers, the kid from Brooklyn who was glad to have good, reliable friends.

“I’ve made latkes for everyone,” Wanda announced, disappearing for a moment into the kitchen and returning with a platter. The crisp, golden latkes looked delicious, and the mood of the room shifted from somber to warm familiarity as the candles burned.

“Thank you so much for inviting us,” Bucky said as they sat around the table, filling their plates with the tasty potato pancakes and a side of applesauce.

Steve gestured to the little gingerbread house, the back wall now permanently down. “I’m sorry we brought a drafty cabin for you.”

“Nonsense.” Wanda grabbed the piece of broken cookie and snapped off a piece. She ate it, licking powdered sugar off of her fingers. “It’s delicious. And the walls that are still standing look lovely too.” With a playful grin, she put out her hand, using just a touch of her powers to stand the half piece of cookie up at the back once again. “There, now it is simply a stylishly large window.”

“I like the way you look at things,” Bucky said. He took another bite of latke.

They sat around the table as the little candles burned by the doorway and enjoyed the food and  each other’s company, telling stories of their holidays from younger years.

“...and then I had to help his mom take the tree out of the house. We spent all evening wiping down every surface in that apartment so Steve could breathe easy again.” Bucky was smiling as he retold the tale, focused on those small details that seemed to flood back to him.

Pietro looked rather surprised, an eyebrow raised as he asked, “So you have asthma, Steve?”

Steve looked at his hands as though he expected to see something different, smaller fingers and more delicate bones. He shrugged. “Not anymore, thankfully.”

Nodding, Pietro looked at his own hands. He understood. “It’s crazy stuff, these days.” There was a brief pause, but when he looked up, he was smiling. “Like I said. We’re thankful for the little miracles, aren’t we?”

The candle burned just a little longer before going out, and not too much longer after that, Steve and Bucky were bundling up for their walk back to their apartment. Steve wrapped his blue scarf around his neck twice while Wanda handed Bucky a small wrapped package.  
  
“For under your tree,” she confirmed as he looked slightly quizzical. “Merry Christmas.”

“Thank you!” Bucky was abashed, shoving a hand in his coat pocket as though he hoped to find a card or gift to give. “We didn’t bring anything for you.”

“It’s nothing big.” Wanda waved off his concerns. “It’s just a little thank you for being here with us. We appreciate you two.”

Steve smiled and held out his arms in an invitation for a hug. Wanda laughed as she gave him a hug. “I would have thought you could get by with a less puffy coat!”

“First Bucky, now you?” But Steve was still smiling. “I just hate feeling cold these days. Happy Hanukkah, Pietro! Happy Hanukkah, Wanda. You guys have a good night.”

The night air was cold around them and their breath came out in white puffs, but Bucky and Steve were warm and smiling the whole way home.

~~~

Bucky groaned as he looked at the mess in their kitchen. The empty mixing bowl was still on the counter, powdering sugar dusted just about every surface in the kitchen, and icing had hardened on the table.

“It didn’t seem this bad before we left.” Bucky surveyed the damage again. “And I would have sworn I put the mixing bowl to soak.”

They got to work, Bucky gathering up the used bowls and decorating equipment while Steve ran some hot water in the sink, adding plenty of dish soap so they could leave everything for a good soak.

“Christmas tree looks really nice,” Steve said as he looked out to the living room, his hands covered in suds.

The tree twinkled with gold pinpricks of light, reflecting on the colorful ornaments they had hung. Bucky dumped the mixing bowl in the sink as Steve dried his hands. He turned to Bucky and grabbed one of Bucky’s hands, bringing it to his lips.

“You’ve left some frosting, love.” Steve grinned as he sucked the tip of Bucky’s finger, and Bucky shrugged with a devilish look in his eyes.

“That stuff just gets everywhere. Can’t help it.” He let Steve take his finger deeper into his mouth. Steve’s tongue was warm and rough, and Bucky closed the distance between them, pressing their hips together. “And I guess I can’t say anything about the time now, can I?”

Steve smiled, his eyes sparkling. He took Bucky’s hand out of his mouth and guided it to rest on his hip. “Not a danged thing.” Then he was leaning forward, kissing Bucky in a way that had Bucky’s skin tingling up his spine and down to his fingertips.

Bucky brushed his fingers against Steve’s waistband and sighed happily into the kiss. He dipped a couple of fingers between fabric and skin and teased at Steve’s hip. Steve shifted against him, pushing Bucky against the counter.

“Gonna get icing on my pants.” Bucky wiggled, as if to check his clothes.

“I can take care of that too,” Steve promised, his voice low and a little rough around the edges.

Bucky leaned in to bring their lips back together as Steve’s words wrapped like a warm fire around his groin. Steve let out a rush of air when Bucky palmed his hardening cock through his pants, rubbing with just enough pressure to tease. He slipped his fingers down a little farther under the waistband of Steve’s pants and then drew back, until Steve was nuzzling at his neck, pressing kisses against the sensitive skin.

“Such a tease.” Steve’s breath was hot against Bucky’s neck.

Somehow as they helped each other out of cumbersome pants and shirts, they ended up in the living room, and Steve pushed Bucky down onto the couch before straddling his lap. Christmas lights twinkled, reflecting colorful spots on his skin and Steve traced a pattern along Bucky’s arm.

Had they stored lube in the coffee table or did Steve just always have some in reach? Bucky didn’t much care one way or another where it came from, especially when Steve used a good amount in his palm to roughly fist Bucky’s cock. And then Steve was lowering himself on, groaning as he moved just a little too fast.

Bucky put his hands on Steve’s hips, more to feel the skin than to set any pace. He let Steve go at his own speed, knowing he’d enjoy it. Steve settled into something slow and steady, arms around Bucky’s shoulders, kissing on his ear, his jaw, his collarbone. The warmth that sat in his groin spread in a comfortable wave, riding down to his toes and up his spine and Bucky sighed, happy and content. It was the pace of homesickness, the way Steve drew out the moment so they knew they had each other, and it was exactly what Bucky didn’t realize he had been wanting.

Bucky leaned forward, returning Steve’s gentle kisses with his own, tickling at Steve’s neck and shoulders and wrapping his arms around Steve’s waist. He rocked his hips a few times, letting Steve know how pleased he was with the pace, the way his body responded with another wave of delicious warmth.

He slid one hand down, working it around Steve’s cock, stroking in time to the way Steve rode him and enjoyed watching Steve’s chest bloom with a reddish blush as he got closer and closer to the edge.

“You’re goddamned beautiful, Steve,” Bucky whispered against his ear and Steve groaned, his movement going erratic as Bucky kept moving his hand, not slowing down until Steve was coming, his muscles pulsing down around Bucky’s cock. “God and you feel _good_.”

Steve smiled at him, panting and flushed, leaning in to kiss Bucky on the mouth, working his tongue in and teasing until Bucky was the one breathing hard as he came inside Steve, relaxing into the back of the couch. Steve was a comforting weight on top of him as he lay his head on Bucky’s shoulder and the two of them wrapped their arms around each other, neither moving for a few minutes.

Then Bucky groaned and Steve looked at him, concern written in every line of his face.

“No, it’s just that I remembered we still need to clean the dishes.”

Steve laughed, before easing off of his lap and heading to the bathroom to clean off and put his clothes back on. “You go to bed, Buck. I’ll get the dishes tonight.”

“Five more minutes awake to help clean up won’t kill me,” Bucky said, but his traitorous body produced a long yawn, and his back cracked as he stood and stretched, dressing himself.

“We’re going to make cookies for Tony’s party next week.” Steve waved Bucky off to the bedroom. “So go on. You can volunteer to clean up the dishes then.”

Bucky looked out the window. It had started to snow, the soft and powdery kind dusting the lampposts outside. He smiled, and headed into the kitchen. Steve had turned on the radio, and Christmas music was starting to play. Bucky grabbed Steve’s waist, and spun him away from the sink.

He smiled again as the two of them danced to the radio, snow falling outside and the holidays off to a perfect start.

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to come shout about Stucky to me on [tumblr!](http://mystrana.tumblr.com/) <3


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